CZ-52: My first pistol

[nrubso]

A couple weeks ago I got my first handgun. For $200 I got a CZ-52, 30rds, dies, 2 mags, and a holster. It also came with a new Wolf recoil spring and aftermarket firing pin. I love the feel of this gun and the looks.

Are there any other aftermarket sights besides the Novak ones and where can I get some nice wood grips for $40 or less? Also I'd like to know any tips that will make it a better pistol. And now some pictures

[PrimarchBentley]

A couple weeks ago I got my first handgun. For $200 I got a CZ-52, 30rds, dies, 2 mags, and a holster. It also came with a new Wolf recoil spring and aftermarket firing pin. I love the feel of this gun and the looks.

Very nice, and seems that you got a decent deal.    The '52 was my first handgun too, I used to consider myself more a rifle person... 

There are a number of after-market firing pins for the '52, so you may want to double-check the model/manufacturer.  Depending on the style/manufacturer of the firing pin, do not trust the de-cocker.  Some people will likely tell you that anyway, but the odds of the de-cocker not working are only increased with certain after-market firing pins.

[skucera]

That sounds like you got a great outfit.  Good find.  Welcome to the CZ 52 community.

There is a web page out there with directions on how to put on a ghost ring sight.  Another explains which disparate sight parts you can combine to put Tritium sights on your 52, but that requires cutting new dovetails.  Google is your friend.  Happy surfing!

Scott

[dean1818]

nice pistol

And great deal

[Mad Pick]

A couple weeks ago I got my first handgun. For $200 I got a CZ-52 . . .

Wow . . . dude, you didn't start small, did you?  How about a .22?  Or a 9mm?  But no, you went right to the BIG MUTHA. 

Congrats on the gun.  I love mine.  However . . . it is certainly the most challenging of the three pistols that I own, and I'm still practicing to try to become halfway proficient with it.  It totally intimidated me at first, but after a recoil spring change, and a grip change, and a firing pin change . . . well, now I'm only partly intimidated by it. 

Maybe I'm just a wuss!

Anyhow, have a great time with it.  Buy ammo.  Lots of it.

[nrubso]

I'm not to bad with it. I for some reason I adjust my grip after every shot which I didn't realize until I saw a video. I love the round too
Is there anything I can shoot that will stop the round so I can recover the bullet?

[skucera]

The classic cheap recyclable material to shoot into to recover a bullet is water.  Wet newspapers or wet phone books work well too, since they approximate the density and viscosity of flesh.  Oh, as Mythbusters showed, higher velocity bullets are more likely to disintegrate on contact with water than slower bullets, so I can't predict if the 7.62 x 25 Tokarev bullet will be in one piece when shot into water.  Let us know what you find out.

Scott

[nrubso]

I'll try packing a cardboard box with wet newspaper or phone books and shoot into that. I get more ammo today or tomorrow in the mail so I can do that soon.

Edit: Would a box full of dirt stop one?

[skucera]

Dirt is much denser than wet paper.  You'll probably just shatter the bullet and get fragments back at you if you stand too close to it.

A web site showed a little bit of cleverness... a guy tied the newspapers up with twine, then soaked them overnight.  They were a soggy, heavy bundle, but they held together enough to be picked up.

Scott

[Dorkfish]

If by some crazy chance you decide to shoot into water...do some research and "testing" on using corn starch with the water.  The right mixture should act a lot like ballistics gel.  You MUST be careful shooting into water or any other liquid because of the deflection, separation of the round, and where it goes when it hits bottom.  With the right corn starch mixture, it can truly become a momentary solid (neutonian liquids) and actually cause a ricochet like it is a solid.

It's just tough to get a proper recovery without the proper equipemnt.

[nrubso]

I remember doing stuff with water and corn starch in school lol. Are there any recipes for cheap ballistics gel on the internet? I just want to recover some bullets.

I got some of this
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/72-rds-762x25-tokarev-86-gr-ammo.aspx?a=274558

And some of this
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/70-rds-762-x-25-mm-tokarev-ammo.aspx?a=170601

[nrubso]

I soaked 2 thick phone books, tied them together, and shot them. The bullet went right through. So next week I will probably soak some more newspaper to double or triple the size.

[krl45]

Don't know what you've tried by now to stop your rounds, but you're going to need alot of it.  I shot an old level IIa vest and the CZ round went through both sides and never slowed down.  If I had to guess it will take at least 20" of ballistic gelatin.

[Otto N Sure]

Welcome!  My first pistol was a CZ 52 as well!  A word of warning...this is the start of an addiction!  I have 3 CZ 52's and keep thinking I need more!!  Next you'll start looking at CZ 50 or 70...then the modern ones like the milsurp CZ 82's...that will lead to the CZ 75 family and then all is lost!!

Otto

[brigadier]

 I always tell people that they should put at least as much money in to the gun as you spend buying it.

 The main thing to replace is the grips, firing pin and sights. There are some slide-stops with release levers available too.

 There are plenty of threads here about replacing the sights and we have a few grip makers around.